Projectile weapons, especially personal firearms, such as rifles, shotguns and pistols, are typically aimed at targets using some form of sighting device. In this regard, the sighting device is typically fixed to the gun in alignment with the sight line of the gun barrel. In such a manner, the gun's barrel may be brought to bear on a visually acquired target so that a high likelihood exists that the target will be hit when the gun is discharged.
In copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/038,065 filed on Mar. 11, 1998 (the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference), there are disclosed gun sights which include one or more rod-shaped light guides. In preferred embodiments, the gun sights of the copending '065 patent application include one or more light guides that are formed from a suitable optically clear plastics material and dyed or colored with a fluorescent pigment to enhance their visibility.
While the gun sights disclosed in the copending '065 patent application are entirely satisfactory for daylight gun sightings, their use at night is limited due to the minimal amount of ambient light that is usually available.
Broadly, the present invention is embodied in combination day and night weapon sighting devices which necessarily include at least one rod-shaped light guide and a visible self-luminescent capsule closely vertically adjacent thereto.